In search of moksha

Ten years ago however Pungaliya steered away completely from business to dedicate himself to, what he felt, was his real calling in life. Thus came into being his Yoga and Allied Research Institute that today conducts various courses on different types of alternate therapies besides weekly evening lectures, seminars and research activities in the field of original ancient scriptures.

Having delved into yogic philosophy for the better part of his life, a few years ago Pungaliya felt the need to put together a book on the subject. “There are a number of people who are interested in yoga and its philosophy today but the knowledge is so vast and varied that it’s very difficult for them to access all the sources. I thus compiled the essence of the knowledge from different branches of yoga such as Patanjali yoga, Kundalini yoga, Hatha yoga, Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga and many more. Each discipline in turn has a number of books written on it but in Sanskrit making it difficult for the people to read them”.

Pungaliya found himself in a similar predicament when he began his research as most of the original reference texts were in Sanskrit. A problem the Science graduate solved simply by enrolling himself for a Masters in Sanskrit at the UoP at the age of 63. “ All the other students were in their early twenties and used to call me uncle,” smiles Pungaliya. However despite the age gap he soon became one of them. “Because of the small number of Sanskrit students the department had not had a social gathering, like other departments for the past 10 years. “That year however we had a gathering and all the students participated to put up an excellent show.” His sheer interest and steadfast aim not only saw him cruising through his Masters but even going on to do a PhD in Sanskrit. His book Yoga Sastra in fact is an expansion of the thesis submitted.

“I have also integrated the different systems of meditation as taught by ancient masters to modern day gurus like Ma Nirmala Devi and Osho,” adds Pungaliya. “Every guru believes his philosophy or point of view to be the ultimate. So, a few years ago I organised a seminar where I took up the challenge of bringing all these gurus on a common platform to expound their individual theories. It was an immensely difficult task and at first everyone was reluctant, even suspicious about the whole thing. However I convinced them that the aim was not to target or challenge any theory but only to have all the view points talked about under one roof. Ultimately the seminar went on for five days with 40 teachers presenting their research papers,” reveals Pungaliya with pride.

But perhaps the biggest test came a a few months ago when Pungaliya was diagnosed with from colon cancer. And it was here that his dedication to yoga stood him in good stead. Operated upon in time, he is now progressing well on the path of recovery. “It is because of my regularity with yoga that my body was able to sustain the operation well. Usually patients are bed ridden after such a major operation but I was able to resume my work at the institute within two months. Though of course the treatment is on and I have to go for my check ups, the cancer is well under control,”emphasises the man who has managed to strike just the right balance between study and practise earning for himself the title of a true sadhak from his colleagues and friends.